bruce johnson

I'll take a stab at this. First off, you might have some issues fattening him up to butcher. We are pretty much carnivores at our house, but even I have some little twinge eating something I gave a name to. As an aside, I am a veterinarian, I grew up in a family of cattle feeders and livestock buyers for slaughter plants, and worked in the slaughter houses. I have no misconceptions about where meat comes from. If the foot fell off this calf and it is infected, do you really want to eat it? I have no problem with eating one that has been treated for something minor, but there is a limit. Some of these are so septic they have infection everywhere. There is enough safe meat out there, you have choices. Sick animals never gain like healthy ones. You aren't going to raise it any cheaper in the final result than buying it. Actually unless you are feeding on some scale, you aren't going to get it any cheaper feeding a single out. They will get around decent on three legs for a while. I have broken legs on practice calves, and they usually heal and get to be alright if you confine them. That is different losing a leg, that won't grow back. I am not lumping everyone in this but here goes. I see clients who thanks to modern medicine have all their grandparents and parents. They are 40 years old, three generations from the farm, and have never faced death of anything. Now they are basket cases because their 20 year old cat has kidney failure or their 20 year old horse can't get up. Death happens, and it is a real teachable moment for kids, and prepares us for what is inevitable for all of those around us. Personally I told people the "preparing for death" speech for 20 years to clients before I realized it was all a warmup for giving that speech one night to family members about someone very close to me. I don't see too many young kids who are mature enough to make "the" decision. We traded horses, and my son grew up knowing "his" horse might be sold. He found out there was money raising and trading goats and calves, and some died and some we put down. Ideally it would be better if the first one your daughter deals with doesn't die. Unfortunately if you are around them long enough some will. We still have to drag one off to the bone pile once in awhile, and it is economic as well as emotional. If you do decide to put it down, you know your daughter but I see two extemes. Some people don't want the kids anywhere close, and others have them force them to be a part of it. Some kids can handle it, and some can't. Some do better than the parents. Give them the choice and respect it. What I'd do is to go buy about 5 calves. Even if only one is her club project, raising the others will be good experience. There was an old Iowa State extension vet who wrote monthly articles for some livestock publications. I always thought he was a crotchty old whatever and didn't share his philosphy in one of his columns. He made the comment that something near and dear to me (4-H) was a farce the way it had degenerated. None of the winning calves were practical for the marketplace nor any sort of economic lesson is livestock reality. I had decent horses, knew families making serious $$$$ selling club calves, hung out with steer jocks, and grand champions would buy a pickup. 4-H was teaching the future of ag. His suggestion was for each kid to start equal with $500 and go the auction to buy something or a few. Pay for their own feed, pay their own bills, and sell them back through a real auction. Judging would be simple, whoever had the biggest bank account at fair time was the grand champion. Without intentionally doing that, that is how my son was raised. John Herrick was right. My son is on his own now and pretty successful in trading, order buying, and auctioneering.

Kev, There is a sort of credible witness to this. Harvey decides on the Jueschke #123 box stamp. I thought he was BSing me until I checked out his maul. It is for sure a 4# maul. He stamped out the front, back, and flap of a 17" wide briefcase in one sitting, and 2-4 hits per impression. I putzed around the shop cutting some little stuff, read the new Shoptalk, sewed a little, and watched the action. He can swing a 4 pounder for a few hours without a break. Harvey, Maybe we shouldn't bring up my dividers, alright?.

I got an email from a reader who said that the stuffing he uses is a some kind of synthetic fiber that is really fine, and looks like what he has seen from Tips. Apparently he has been using it for a few years and gets in a large box in the craft corner at Walmart. Packs in like wool, but doesn't seem to collapse like wool can do after a while. I'll call over to Tips and if so, I'll check out Walmart. I've got a few of Jeremiah's inserts to play with also. Kind of a shame to cover them up, they are attention getters hanging there in the shop.

Has anybody ever stuffed them with a synthetic? I used to buy mine from Tip's and they were stuffed with a white synthetic fiber that most guys thought held up well and didn't get raggy.

The Landis handcranks I know of usually sell for $600-750. Once in a while a good complete handcrank will slip through Ebay for a little less. Some guys have motorized the 6" hand cranks. Take off the crank and replace it with a pulley. That is going to be the most economical probably unless you hit the right place at the right time. The old motorized small splitters don't show up much. Unless someone hits a shoe repair closing up, the used machinery guys are about it.

Elton, Congratulations on the win. Really good one, amigo. I echo the border, I've liked that one for a while. I am eyeballing your saddle pretty closely here, the next three orders are all pointed skirts and exposed leathers. I recently saw one with the martingale dees coming off like yours and the rope strap coming off the top back corner of the carrier too. It looked pretty cool and took away that little lump and gapping you get when you screw them in under the front jockey. I'm trying that out.

Andy, Thanks for the announcement. What I have heard recently sounds really good. They have a pretty good interest from vendors sounds like, and different vendors from some of the other shows. The time of year is a plus too. Doubtful we'll be chaining up to clear the mountains and fighting the Winnemucca to Elko blizzard to get there this time. For those who haven't been to Elko, there are some pretty places close by - Lamoille and the Ruby mountains. The Western Folklife Center is there, along with two historic old style casinos and Basque restaurants that serve more food than we ought to eat. Looking forward to it.

Josh, That is the biggest problem I had starting with a round knife was knowing where that tip was. I thought I had to keep it pushed down. Once someone explained to me that the slicing action kept the blade down, it was a lot easier. I likewise use a piece of HDPE on my cutting table. I pretty much use mine like JW. Some guys make cuts off the edge of the table, and I do that for blocking and trimming stiffer leather sometimes. Some guys will cut on glass too. There is some debate on that, and I'll let someone else slug out the merits of that. I skive on glass sometimes. The biggest problem I have is making tighter inside curves. I catch the blade tip in the cutting surface and snap off that corner. I have an older smaller pointed (Philadelphia pattern?) knife I mostly try to remember to use for these curves. Doing them on glass would prevent that.

Kevin, I haven't used the black mauls because everyone who has won't give them up. I am kind of recalling that Gore tools used to sell them or something like them too?? I haven't used the stamping sticks but a lot of those old guys did. I haven't been around anyone who used them, just don't have the experience. I got started with a Maul-master, enough said there. I got a couple straight ones from Barry, and then a couple tapered ones from Wayne after I tried them at a show. I like them all for different things.

These are one of those things that going to a show and trying them out is a plus. For me the biggest difference between a tapered maul and a straight maul is how high you need to hold your elbow to have the head hit the stamp squarely. The issue comes into play with heavier mauls and when you have had shoulder problems. With the straight mauls I need to hold my elbow up some. With the tapereds I can pretty much rest it at my side with the height of my chair and surface. I have some of Barry's and some of Wayne's. Like Hidepounder said, the handles are different. I can kind of "ring" Barry's with a my thumb and first two finger and let them rock. Barry's mauls are more neutrally weighted. I like them for walking stamps and backgrounding. Wayne's are more head heavy and the handle works a bit better for me to grip and put a little more force behind the deadfall effect. I prefer them for single impression stamps like larger baskets and geometrics. There is some difference in the head material between them, but not enough to be a factor for me.

That is a fact, says Bruce, someone who is pretty careful and doesn't follow the Stohlman diagrams of pushing a stone into any edge as illustrated on page 4 of the tool book. One of my pals accidentally had his finger hanging over the edge of a stone and sliced the end off when he got a little close to the edge. I keep my fingers behind the cutting edge. and work the stone back to me for shaping. That works well for me. However a bit more caution is warranted after that. A guy might want to be careful replacing the blade into the splitter. Maybe watch the edge and not accidentally brush a finger over it while watching the bolt holes line up. I am healing up nicely but have a flat spot on the end of a finger.

Ok, you asked, you got it. The first powered machine I ordered was a 440. At that time it was the lowest priced machine. I was pretty ignorant and didn't ask the right questions. I was buying based on price only, and out of a rapidly escalating need to get things done. The capacity of the machine is not the question, but the throat plate has teeth to help feed the material and hold it in place and keep it from kicking forward. The biggest issue I had was these teeth made marks on lined things that would not rub out. Especially going around corners they would really eat up the lining. I called up Ron and explained my needs better. He agreed that I needed a different machine to be happy. If I had explained better instead of just buying it all would have been avoided I am sure. Another shameless plug for Ferdco. Ron offered to exchange the head out for an Adler 205-64 for what I recall was not much to boot on the deal. I was not sure and called Vernon Weaver (one of the real bright spots of that bunch). Vernon told me to get the Adler head and and if I didn't like it, he would make me a profit selling the whole setup to him. The Adler was everything Ron and Vernon said it was. Not to totally bash the 440 and its other clones, but I'd look for something different for the caliber of work you are doing. I know guys who use them and have smoothed down the teeth on the plate, but for the extra bucks, even a regular priced soldier in the current clone war would be a better choice to me.

Just a bump here to let everyone know that the Rollersnaps are available at special pricing in the "Marketplace" section. For those of us that got to use some of the samples last summer, the couple I used have worked out well for me. The link to Marketplace is here - Rollersnaps . Check them out.

This is not a show special pricing or anything, but McDonald's has $3 value meals. Today I got a double cheeseburger, fries, and drink for $3. Friday I got the tacklebox at Popeyes - shrimp, fries, and biscuit for around $4, drink not included. They were both good. I am just happy to see no chicken eaters here, although the KFC coleslaw rocks as a side. Another suggestion is O-rings at BK dipped in buffalo sauce. OFF TOPIC - Steve M, I am really happy with the Adler 205 I bought used from Ferdco, as well as the 2000 and 1245. They sold me on their service when they overnighted a part to me, and one of the repair guys (Rick?) offered to call me at 5:00 a.m. their time to talk me through installing it before I had to leave for work. BACK ON TOPIC - To get this thread back on the fast food track - the bacon egg and cheese toasters at Sonic with tater-tots and a lime-ade (plain, not cherry) is a good start to the day. If you ask for extra bacon they generally don't charge. Be careful of their styrofoam cups though. They are pretty thin and brittle. You can run a thumb through and have a cold wet lime-ade leg.

Doug, Like Gordon said, Sheridan LO has good strainers. They sell some from Bill Bean that I like a lot. On some of the longer saddles I have had Bill cut me some special. I just got a mix from him of long and XLs.

Bob, Every once in a while I get lucky. My favorite draw gauge is a Sauerbier. I read somewhere Henry Sauerbier made swords during the civil war. Recently I got a Latta pattern draw gauge with the frame having the 1881 patent date and a CSO bar in it with the Harrison address. Probably a put together deal, and was a good bargaining point. A week later we are in Clovis at an antique store. In the first case I look at, there is the front frame of an HFO Latta (no handle) with the cherriest HFO bar I have seen. I couldn't get my $15 paid fast enough. I get it home and took the blade out. The HFO imprint is clearly visible on the blade when I get it out of the frame. The bar and the handle match now. I stuck a Buchman blade in it, and that HFO blade is a keeper not a user.

Josh, I buy a good quality binder from the office supply stores and then drill out the rivets that hold the binder clip inplace. Use a small bit that will drill out the rivet and not eat the binder clip. I prefer the cobalt bits for this. I cut the plastic off and save the stiffeners and sandwich them between the cover and liner to stiffen them. I normally use 7/8 for the cover. I line with 2/3 or 3/4 commercial oak from Siegels. It oils up to a nice color. I use an acrylic finish (Leathersheen) and have no bleeding problems with the oil and no waterspotting.

Rob Yeah, you came out alright. Some of those tools could bring $55 or better by themselves. Here's a link to a site that has the history on some of the companies who made them - Old Tool makers . By the way. It is HF Osborne and CS Osborne. Seems like I have run onto a fair amount of draw gauges lately and got some good buys, but rarely any hand tools still useable.

Rob, Sometimes what looks like rust will come off with a little WD40 and fine steel wool. I use a soft wire wheel if need be and follow that up with the loose sewn cloth wheels. Looks like you've got some goodies there. Any maker's names on them?

Doug, I am with Keith. I would scoop out in front of the cantle and make it pretty level more of the way forward. I leave my ground work mostly full in the middle of the cantle and transition to make a curve rather than an abrupt angle. I usually try to get my flattish spot starting at the cantle corners. I carry it forward to pretty near the back stirrup slot if I can. I make the front rise come up from there. I tend to like a little flatter seat with a narrower pinched front rise than some guys for a general using saddle. Attaching a couple pictures that kind of show the seat profile I go for. The roughout is the first customer ordered saddle I did. The other one is a few years ago. Rundi shot this picture at a sale, I would like to think the saddle seat is the reason he is smiling.

Dang buddy, between your saddle shop apprenticeship and cowboying apprenticeship, you've run into some bad luck. Where are these places at so someone else doesn't jump into the same puddle?

Barra, There hasn't been anything released yet. If it is like last year, he really didn't start to finalize much class wise until after the Wickenburg show, which is going on right now. If you haven't been, it is a good show with a lot of vendors. Worthwhile to spend the better part of a day at the Don King Museum. Nice to visit Barry King's shop and see how tools are made. Tom Balding has a bit and spur shop around the corner, and it is interesting too. A couple of social deals - Kings on Thurs night and Sheridan Leather Outfitters on Fri night. The unorganized socials are at the Mint (across from Kings downtown) and the Holiday Inn.

I am with Barra. There is something kind of cool to think you are using something for sure that is over a hundred years old, and it still is tight. I had a lapse yesterday morning. I realized the dichotomy of using a neon orange plastic handle screwdriver to set the blades on Hansen and Randall splitters. I got a $5 wooden slab handled screwdriver at an antique store out of guilt. It looked better laying next to them this morning.

Not to divert this into a discussion of whose leather is best but here is my experience. Usually I have a pretty good idea if there is rawhide in it when I cut it and the round knife rises up out of the cut or the draw gauge hits the wall. I guess I have cut more rawhide in domestic leather than the imports I've cut. Some I have salvaged by oiling it before I go to sewing. As far as the urine smell, he did a series of articles in ShopTalk on some of the Mexican and Argentine tanneries a few years ago. Apparently there is a tree in central America that imparts this odor into the leather, and some tanneries use it and some don't. Whether someone is really using urine, don't know. I don't really lump all the import vegtans together. I have not had that smell in anything I have used. I had some really great tooling sides from Teneria for a while. Some fell off in the heavier weights though. I have likewise had some outstanding Argentine sides too. I liked leather from two US tanneries that closed, and what I am getting now is closest to either of them that I can find.

Clay, Very cool, or warm as the case may be. Rundi likes them too, but said I can't make any unless we move up to where the arctic blasts come through. That ain't likely. We both remember growing up in it.